The Pokemon School - Darkness Rising
by danthered19
Summary: Follow the story of intrepid trainer, Dan Davis, as he enrolls at the Pokemon School of Kanto, makes enemies with the famous Ash Ketchum, whilst also attempting to pursue the love of his life. There are lessons to be learnt, battles to be fought, and not to mention the rising of Team Plasma - something that will make sure Dan's life will never be the same again...
1. Chapter 1

School of Pokémon

The coach rolled slowly into the sunny forecourt, and with a screech of its worn brakes, it pulled to a stop. The doors opened and hundreds of students filed out, all in clashing clothes and many were talking in loud voices.

I was one of the people being shoved around in that crowd.

Hi, my name's Dan Davis – and I'm a rookie Pokémon trainer. I got my first Pokémon at the age of 7, and it was a Purloin, given to me as a surprise by my mum and dad. I remember that it didn't do that much, just sort of hung around the house and disappeared occasionally.

But we loved it for what it was, it battled with my younger brother many times, and their connection subsequently grew until a solid relationship; they seemed to be on the same wavelength and understood each other.

I won't lie, I was jealous of him. He was the smarter one, the cooler one, and lots of my own friends looked up to him. 'I wanna turn out like Edward!' was the classic line I was used to hearing every day.

So that's why I'm here, queuing up outside the vast doors to the Pokémon School in Kanto. My parents decided I should be sent away for a bit, so that one day I could become like Ed.

I begrudgingly accepted, so I hurriedly packed my bags and caught the earliest bus possible from Pallet Town to the Indigo Plateau, where the school was situated.

And so here I am. All 5'11 of me. I wouldn't consider myself attractive; I've never had a proper girlfriend before, so I just didn't think that I'd end up with anybody.

But still, things can change, and where better than here? The world famous Pokémon School.

I made my way slowly up the marble steps, still in line with the seemingly endless amount of students all doing the same thing that I was: waiting to be accepted, and then assigned a dormitory.

Finally, after what seemed like a long hour of waiting, I found myself at the check-in desk, where a kind woman was sat. Her legs were crossed, and her brow was deeply furrowed in thought – her mind was obviously elsewhere.

"Hello, would you like to sign the form so I can check you in?" she asked, her mouth turned upwards into a sweet smile.

"Sure thing." I murmured, taken aback by the smoothness that everything was running like. Students were being churned through the system within a matter of seconds and directed to their dormitories.

I hurriedly scribbled down my signature, signed the date and looked back up at the woman.

"Do you currently have any Pokémon, sir?" she asked me.

I felt my heart drop just a bit.

"No, not at the moment." I replied, clearly downcast. I just hoped that my disappointment didn't show too much to the kind receptionist.

Unfortunately, it seemed she did.

"Not to worry, sir." She replied, her smile lifting a bit more; which encouraged me just a little bit. "The Pokémon Professor will be asking for consultations with each student, so I'm sure he can help you out when it's your turn."

I smiled, now feeling happier.

"Thanks very much."

She nodded.

"Not to worry."

And with that, I ambled off towards a large crowd of people, hoping to find some sort of direction to get to my dormitory.

But instead, I found something entirely different.

I heard lots of bangs and squeals emanating from inside a large circle of people, so using my shoulder, I forced my way through and saw two teenagers, looking a tiny bit older than me, embroiled in a fierce Pokémon battle, judging by the look of anguish on one of them, and the smug grin plastered over the face of the other.

"Come on Ash!" someone shouted from the back of the crowd, directing his encouragement to the teenager who was smiling to himself. He had a red cap pulled sharply so that it cast a menacing shadow over his eyes, leaving erratic spikes of hair protruding from the back.

Standing at Ash's feet was a small yellow Pokémon, immediately recognisable as Pikachu. Its lightning shaped tail seemed to crackling with pure energy and its small black eyes were fixated on its opponent.

The other teenager was sweating heavily; thick globules seemed to cascade down his face. I immediately felt sorry for him, he was stood there, being jeered at by the large crowd as he slowly mulled over his options, eyes darting nervously from side to side.

Stood resolutely at his feet, looking like it was going to topple over at any moment was a Pidgey. A small, defenceless and exhausted Pidgey. It was evident that he had plunged into the deep end and was now struggling to retain his dignity while trying not to lose his Pokémon.

"Okay…" he mumbled, looking upwards. "Let's do this, Pidgey."

The bird Pokémon struggled to pull itself to its full height, and its feathers were ruffled all over the place.

"Pidgey, use tackle!" he shouted.

The Pidgey swooped forward, but as soon as it left the ground in a feeble swoop, I knew instantaneously what was about to happen.

"Pikachu, counter with Thunderbolt!"

"Pika!" the electric type shouted, as it flicked its tail nonchalantly. The bolt struck the Pidgey square in its midriff, and the bird Pokémon toppled to its feet, panting heavily.

And that's when I had decided.

I stepped forward into the battle ring, and nudged the poor trainer out of the way. His Pidgey turned around to look curiously at me, and it pulled itself up and tottered over to me.

"Okay…this is the game plan…"

After a few moments of conferring, the Pidgey turned back around to face the Pikachu.

Ash just pulled his cap down further over his eyes, but not enough to mask the intolerable grin that had formed on his young, typical teenage face.

"You know you don't have a chance…" he drawled.

I just scoffed. "Bring it."

I looked down at the Pidgey. It didn't even belong to me, but I felt like I had to prove myself to people so early on. It was an impulse thing, and something I still don't regret to this day.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, the grin never faltering as he spat the words out.

"Pidgey, get close!" I shouted.

The bird Pokemon bravely sprang forward, and positioned itself over the head of the unsuspecting Pikachu. And that was when Ash realised.

"No!" he shouted, but the exclamation had barely left his mouth before the bolt seemed to shatter the sky, and came crashing down.

But not onto Pidgey.

Like I had told it, it had swooped swiftly out of the way, and the attack had slammed into the Pikachu, catapulting it across the hall, and charring its bright yellow skin.

"Shit…" Ash murmured to himself, throwing a dirty glance at me before heading off in the direction his defeated electric-type had fallen. The crowd eventually started to break up, some of the people clapping me on the back as they walked past.

I felt happier than I had done in a long time. But I knew that what I had done wouldn't go unpunished. Ash seemed to be one of the most popular guys in school, and he had only just joined!

It seemed like I had just got myself until trouble which could've been avoided by simply staying away and leaving the hall. But the temptation had been too great…

But I was brought back out of my stupor by a person nudging me with their elbow.

Stood in front of me, dozens of workbooks crammed against their chest, was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. She had flowing blonde hair that fell a long way past her shoulders, and a face which was the embodiment of heaven. Thin, dark eyebrows formed a concerned line above two sparkling blue eyes, which led to a small, rounded nose. Below that was a small, but equally perfect mouth, which was curled into a surprise smile.

"You were really good just then." She announced.

I smiled, but could feel myself getting redder by the second.

"Thanks, but, it really was nothing. I didn't mean to cause any trouble or anything…"

She laughed, a cute giggle that seemed to emanate from the very top of her throat, a noise that seemed to make my insides squirm in delight.

"You definitely didn't!" she exclaimed, still smiling. _Please, God, don't let her see how embarrassed I am…_ "In fact, I reckon you probably gained yourself a few friends already."

I smiled again, thinking of words to say – but nothing came out; I found it almost physically impossible to get anything out.

"Including me…" she added, her smile now turning slightly mischievous. "Anyway, I'd better go now, so I guess I'll see you around then?"

I nodded.

"Sure!" I stuttered, my heart pounding so hard against my ribs it felt like they would give way at any moment. "See you around."

She gave a final smile, before biting her lip, almost nervously, and leaving the hall, leaving me seeing nothing but the seductive swing of her hips under her pleated skirt.

Well…to sum up my first day…I had already made myself enemies with the school's most popular trainer, but had won a battle which was seemingly the biggest mismatch of all time.

Oh, and I may have just fallen in love.

Perhaps things weren't too bad after all…


	2. Chapter 2

Shaking my head to rid myself of adventurous thoughts, I collected myself and hurried forward in the direction of where the girl had gone.

_I don't even know her name…_ I pondered, as I took a glance out of the two wooden doors that led into a large courtyard.

Inside it was a large cobbled area, with small patches of browning grass protruding out from the paved stones. The sun hung in the sky, at its highest, and its beams seemed to reach down and purposefully blind me, so I was forced to squint.

My heart rate began to increase, and I swallowed nervously.

_Where did she go?_

But there she was, striding past a fountain that was situated in the middle of the courtyard. The sun caught the colour of her hair perfectly, as it resonated in all its beauty. But with a lurch of jealousy, I noticed other trainers who were lingering around turning their head to watch her as she walked, her pleated skirt swaying slightly in the light breeze.

"She's quite a looker, isn't she?" a voice said, coming from behind me.

I spun around, my hand instinctively reaching down to my utility belt where usually my trusty Poke Balls would be.

The voice had originated from Ash. He wasn't squinting; his cap was pulled down over his eyes, as was his custom, so he was protected from the harsh gaze coming down from the sky. But I could see a wry smile creasing his pale face.

"Definitely," I replied cautiously. "Why?"

The trainer just looked at me and his smile increased.

"Well…if you're talking about her name, I don't think it will matter if I tell you that I don't know any more than you do. But," he added, obviously for special effect. "She is definitely going to be my next girlfriend…"

And with a small, casual lift of a finger to the brim of his cap – a strange, mocking form of salute, he brushed past me, nudging me slightly out of the way, and set a large stride after her. The beautiful girl – the one who no one seemed to know much about.

I decided to leave and try and find my dorm, but as I did, I couldn't help but think about what Ash had just told me.

_My NEXT girlfriend…_the use of the word 'next' couldn't help but cause a strong upsurge of hatred.

I joined a large queue, and after reaching finally reaching the end, I was met by a kind old man, with a greying beard, flecked with streaks of black.

"Good afternoon young man," the man said; and with a glance at my watch, I saw that he was correct, it was one o' clock. "I assume you'll be asking about your dorm?"

I nodded.

He reached for something under the desk he was positioned behind and placed a large stack of keys onto the table. I noticed that some were in the shape of recognisable Pokémon: Pidgey, Pichu, Riolu and Gastly were just some of many. I looked enquiringly back up at the man, who had a look of amusement creased over his aging features.

"There are also three special dorms named after some ancient Pokémon, thought to be the creators of this land. Lugia, Ho-Oh and Moltres are the names of these – however, they can only be accessed by older people who have already won some Gym Badges during the Pokémon League. So…

"It seems that you will have to choose one of the other ones. What is your choice?"

I looked hard at the Pokémon shaped keys, and eventually settled for one.

"I'll go for the Riolu dorm please."

The man smiled and handed me over a key.

"You'll be in room 216, so an elevator will be available to get you there when you enter Riolu building."

I ran the key through my fingers, feeling the cold metal. It allowed me to distract myself away from Ash and his pursuit over the girl who, I realised, I hadn't stopped thinking about since I had first seen her.

"Do you need help finding your way there?" he asked, motioning to two resolute looking men stood at either side of him.

Not liking the look of the grimaces on their cleanly shaven faces, I politely declined and moved off; detaching myself from the queue that had formed behind me, before entering the main lobby again.

Above me, hanging from the ceiling, was a large sign that read out the names of the Dorms, and had a helpful arrow pointing towards the direction of the staircase the respective pupils would have to take. Looking for the right arrow to take for the Riolu dorm, I ascended the stairs, and found myself walking along a corridor, painted with many figures of the Pokémon Riolu and its eventual evolution, Lucario.

Finding room 216, I let myself in and found myself stood right in front of the girl I had seen not five minutes before.

I smiled nervously, closing the door behind me.

"I guess you chose Riolu dorm too, then?" she asked.

I nodded, suddenly finding myself unable to form cohesive words again.

She smiled knowingly, and brushed past me. I caught the faintest hint of her body spray as she did so.

"Well, come here and meet Max." she said.

I followed her without question; her voice just seemed to make me melt before her eyes.

Inside a side room, one of the three bedrooms that were situated inside 216, was a boy. He looked to be my age, with short black hair with unusual red tints. He was wearing a black jumper, with a Chinese dragon on it, and fading blue jeans which seemed to contain an innumerable amount of pockets.

"Hey," he said, reaching over to shake my hand briskly. His grip was firm, as though he was looking to make an impression. "Nice to meet you."

I smiled at him genuinely. "And you." I had a good feeling that we were going to get on very well.

The girl came over to me, and stood at my side. She had a curious smile on her face.

"And I'm Gaia," she announced. "Looks like we're all stuck with each other for the next couple of years!"

I laughed, hoping to sound as manly, and humane, as possible. Max just seemed more fluid, however, as he made a non-committal noise, and walked past us into the living room. Inside it was a large sofa, two large chairs, a metallic coffee table with lots of Pokémon magazines stacked up on them, and a huge plasma TV which took up one whole length of the room.

He sat down heavily on the sofa, picked up a remote and flicked it nonchalantly. The TV burst into life, tuned into the Pokémon League channel. A fierce battle between a Typhlosion and a Tyrantrum was taking place.

"I reckon the Typhlosion will win…" Gaia giggled. She too took a seat next to Max. Feeling another spurt of jealously, I followed suit and cast a wary glance over my two roommates, while seeing the Tyrantrum rear up dangerously on the screen.


	3. Chapter 3

After a long evening of watching the Pokemon League channel, and casting Gaia little glances out of the corner of my eye when I could be sure she was distracted, I managed to head off to the bathroom to change for bed. It was only after having a wash, did I realise just how much I was shaking.

_Me, nervous?_ I asked myself. But it was true, I was.

Bloody terrified.

In just my first day, I had made enemies with the coolest pupil in the whole school, but I hadn't just beaten him, I'd humiliated instead. Before out battle, it was unheard of for a Pidgey to use it's opponents strongest move against them, let alone just beating a high calibre Pokemon such as a Pikachu.

And what made it even more shocking is that I could instantly tell just how close Ash and his Pokemon were; it was almost as if they were best friends. And I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever feel that same connection with a Pokemon of my choice.

Gathering what remaining strength I had left, I managed to fumble at the door and leave the bathroom, bid my room-mates goodnight, and as soon as my head touched the pillow, I was asleep.

The next morning, I was awoken by the thin stretches of the sun's rays peeping cautiously into the room, through a narrow gap in my curtains. After stretching hugely, I clambered out from between the sheets, and headed into the kitchen.

Max was sat on a stool, sipping at what appeared to be alcohol, his legs lying spread-eagled atop the counter.

"Morning." he said, a small smile breaking out over his lips. "Heard the news?"

I felt a furrow crease my brow.

"No...what's going on?" I asked, feeling slightly nervous. Somehow, I could just tell from his demeanour that this concerned me in some way.

"Well...after his little _humiliation_ at your hands yesterday, the words out that Ash Ketchum himself, surely soon to be Pokemon League champion, is looking for another fight with you. He said that if you see him around, he'll name the conditions and the place."

I felt a knot tighten in my stomach, and my heart seized up and plunged into the icy depths below. The coldness spread slowly through me like small veins were snaking all around my body, slowly increasing their vice-like grip on my body.

"Do...do I have to turn up?" I stuttered.

Max swung his legs onto the floor, the heels of his boots thumping against the marble tiled floor. He rose his eyebrows purposefully.

"Well, put it this way. If you don't, it's likely that he'll hunt you down and quite possibly do something he won't regret at all for the rest of his life."

And with a gentle pat on my back, and a small scoff to himself, he left the room, shouting a casual "laters!" over his shoulders.

I sighed, then made myself a strong coffee. I'm not ashamed to admit that I added some of the alcohol that Max had been drinking into it. Still, I felt I deserved it. _This can't end well for me..._

I knew that because the fight would only be on his terms, Ash would wipe the floor with me. I would have one Pokemon, that I would choose today, and that would be it, where, knowing Ash, he would have the whole day off to search the grounds for wild Pokemon and train them up. Any one of them would easily be able to thrash me, probably without even trying.

It was for about ten minutes that I felt down in the dumps, when I heard a gentle creak from the bathroom, and out came Gaia, wearing nothing but a towel that preserved her dignity; unfortunately for me. Her hair was soaked through, and when she approached, she had a small smirk on her beautiful face.

"What's up?" she enquired, taking a seat on the stool next to me. I had to almost glue my eyes forward so that they would stop rolling slowly down to what lay below her heavenly face.

"I've just been challenged to a battle by Ash Ketchum, all on his terms." I replied, sounding as downcast as I probably looked at that time.

She nodded, clearly understanding why I was so depressed. Her arm extended and patted mine slowly, but with each touch, I felt a bolt of electricity surge violently up my arm. When she removed it, it was clear what she was going to ask of me next.

"Anyway, I can never seem to dry my hair off properly, would you mind doing it for me?"

I nodded, stuttered over a sentence, and took another towel she had brought out with her. I helped her dry it for about five minutes, taking my time to scan down her back, and a bit further. _This is gonna be the only opportunity I have..._ I reassured myself, feeling slightly bad for what I was doing.

When I was done, she sprightly hopped up, gave me a little kiss on the cheek and disappeared again. When she was gone, I afforded myself a little smile, before checking my watch. It was just coming up to eleven, so I thought it was a good time to leave the dorms and speak to the Pokemon professor.

I closed the door behind me after I left, and joined the bustling crowds of people all heading out into the grounds, all to do what I could not; catch Pokemon. During free periods, the school actually advised students to do it! My heart sank just a little bit more, my parents couldn't even afford to buy me a cheap pair of Poke Balls...

I strode into the entrance foyer, and followed signs that led me downstairs several flights, and into a small reception area, which was ringed by purple comfortable couches, and in the far corner was a desk, behind which sat a woman, wearing the purple blouse of the school admin department.

She looked up from her computer screen, so I awkwardly ambled over.

"Can I help you?" she asked politely.

I gave her a small smile. "I'm here to see the Pokemon Professor."

She beckoned to the door on the left of her desk, and pressed a button on her desk. The door swung open.

I thanked her and walked into a large office, furnished with dark green leather furniture, which was flanked by a large roaring fire, in a very traditional fire place. The sides were carved into two large dragons, which I thought Max would like the look of very much. From one wing back chair, I could see two feet dangling, so I made my way forward slightly.

"Professor?" I asked tentatively.

"I heard you come in Max, I was just enjoying the fire. Do come over."

I heard the leather creak slightly, and the Professor got to his feet, and walked over to another corner of the room. Stood majestically there, twice as tall as the Professor himself was an incubator of some sort.

"This is my own, personally designed Pokemon machine. Inside it are three Pokemon in different Poke Balls, and once when you put your hand on the 'on' machine, the machine will decide which of these will be best suited to your personality. Are you ready?"

I nodded, swallowed hard, and placed my hand over the large green button. Almost instantly, the machine's lid opened and a Poke Ball was pushed forward into my outstretched, trembling hands.

I looked at the Pokemon Professor, and he gave me a subtle nod; a signal for me to open it. I pressed the button on it, it clicked open, and inside was a...

_Until the next one guys! I hope you enjoyed the cliffhanger and want to see what Pokemon our intrepid hero gets! Adios!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Showdown

"Gastly!" my new Pokemon proclaimed as it burst out from the ball. I couldn't help but laugh at it as it floated around nonchalantly, gnashing together it's two very pointed teeth on either side of its demonic grin.

"Aha!" laughed the professor, smiling widely as Gastly made its way around the room, and came to settle in front of the roaring fire that still hadn't burnt itself out. "Made up of 95% poisonous gas, so do be careful when around it. But alas, it is a good choice, Dan!"

I thanked him, before putting my new Pokemon back inside its Poke Ball. I had already made a silent vow to myself to let it roam free around the area as much as possible, rather than contain it within a small space.

"So what do I do now?" I asked, placing the ball inside of my trouser pocket, feeling it wiggle slightly as my Gastly moved around, presumably trying to escape again. It seemed to have a very playful nature, but short temper too.

"You will have your first lessons tomorrow, which is where your Gastly will come in to be very useful. You will need to build up a strong relationship with it, if you wish to succeed at this school."

"I understand, professor." I felt the need to divulge the one fear I had at that time to him. "It's just that…"

The professor cocked an eyebrow. "Do go on."

"Well…I'm scared that I won't be able to be as close to my Pokemon as people like Ash Ketchum get to be."

The professor laughed gaily.

"I will not lie to you, Mr Davis, it is very clear that Mr Ketchum is destined for great things, and he and his Pikachu are the closest I have ever seen a battle pairing together. However, consider for a moment, how the other Pokemon will feel when he eventually catches others."

"They will feel left out." I answered, frowning at the simplicity of his question.

He raised a finger, and beamed. "Precisely! It is known in Pokemon lore that if a trainer loses his closest Pokemon, then he is destined to lose the battle. The others will simply not want to battle for him – and that is where trainer-pokemon relationships come into play. I cannot express enough how you will need to become close with your little Gastly here." He beckoned towards my pocket.

But now, I have heard news that Mr Ketchum is rather perturbed by what happened on your first day!"

I tried very hard to stifle a scoff. I knew I had outplayed him, but he just would never come to accept the terms of that defeat.

"He's challenged me to a battle, professor. All on his own terms."

"Ah, well. As unfortunate as that may be, when the battle does happen, and I am forced to step in to end it, be assured that I will still be silently rooting for you, Mr Davis. There is no reason why you cannot outmatch the great Ash Ketchum!"

And with a small glimmer in his eyes, he sent me on my way, my pocket bulging now I had my first Pokemon.

_A Gengar…_

I was a little surprised, but could understand why the machine had chosen him for me. We both loved to have a bit of fun, but at the same time, there lurked a serious and angry side that could be released without a moment's hesitation. I felt that we might get on well; and also that I needed to start training him up as soon as possible.

_I need to ask around to see if there are any good training spots, away from everywhere else…_I told myself, striding through the school corridors with an extra spring in my step.

Until I saw him.

Ash Ketchum, looking intently at me, with an evil glint in his narrowed eyes. That stupid cap of his cast a dark shadow over his teenage face, but I could still see his mouth edged in a snarl.

I looked at his right arm. It was encircled around a girl, who looked familiar. She was facing the other way.

"Ah, Davis!" he announced, purposefully raising his voice. The hustle and bustle in the corridor died down instantly – replaced with a tangible tension. "I have decided where we're gonna fight. On the veranda, 3 o'clock tomorrow. No backing down; or I'll see I get my revenge in a very…different…form."

He started to move on, but the girl was still facing the other way, looking down the corridor. He pulled on her arm, the jumper she was wearing ripped slightly around her wrist.

She spun around, and locked eyes with me, still in the cold embrace of Ash.

It was Gaia.

With a fearful, pleading look in those perfect eyes, she was dragged away. Away from me.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Not your normal day...

I woke the next morning, covered in sweat, the sheets clinging to me. Nightmares had thundered through my brain during the night, refusing to leave me, as I was forced to re-enact the previous day's events. I just couldn't believe what I had seen...

_Gaia...with Ash!_

The look she had given be as she was tugged away did nothing to soothe me – despite the fact I knew she must've been forced to be with him, or threatened with something else if she had declined.

Pulling myself out of bed, I walked slowly into the kitchen, silently hoping for some confrontation with her. But only Max was there, assuming his usual position with his feet up on the counter.

"Alright?" he asked, drinking deep from his bottle.

I didn't reply.

"Ah, I know what's wrong. I saw them too."

I looked up, meeting his stony gaze.

"Did you?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't worry about it though, I reckon she was forced to or something, the staff here know he's guaranteed to be the Champion in the future, so they don't want to get on the wrong side of him."

I nodded. "True." But it did nothing to alleviate the horrible feeling that was lying low, in the squalid depths of my stomach.

He nudged my arm gently.

"Tell you what...we've got four hours until the lesson today, so why not come down to the fields and train with me? We can catch some other Pokemon?"

I smiled, but then realised I didn't actually own any other Poke balls other than the one that was inside my pocket, containing my brand new Gastly. I told him.

"It's fine, I've got _way_ too many anyway, I can lend you some. Besides, it's bound to take your mind of things..."

I grudgingly agreed, and after Max got ready, we headed down to the fields. These were an area just outside of the school grounds, where the teachers didn't come, and the students had miles of greenery and lots of different terrain to catch all different types of Pokemon. We entered the gate, and Max suggested we entered a slightly wooded area, where there was practically no-one at all.

"Okay, let's get catching." I said, taking in a deep breath, and walking forward, disturbing some long grass. But there was no Pokemon that came bursting forward, readying itself for battle against me. The area still remained silent.

I turned around, and saw Max over my shoulder casually strolling forward. I narrowed my eyes, as a thin veil of sunlight crept between the trees, and continued to watch him as he made his way forward.

But he too, had no luck.

We were there for roughly half an hour, making our presence known, in case any Pokemon decided to take their chances against us. And finally, something happened.

"This is getting stupid..." panted Max, before taking another swig from his bottle. "We should head back now."

It was my turn to smile. "Nah...we've still got plenty of time. One of us is gonna catch something."

And almost as if to prove my point, I took one step forward, and a Pokemon flew itself at me from out of nowhere. I got a proper look at it, as it stood on its legs and stared intensely at me, a smile smile adorned upon its white face. It had a short, wide body, which was mostly black, but had a blue stripe that stretched from its torso to left shoulder. It lacked normal hands, because three shining claws glinted at the end of its arms.

"It's a Drillbur!" Max shouted, punching the air.

I smiled, feeling silently confident. _Time to get my second Pokemon..._

I pulled out the Poke ball from my pocket, and thrust it forward.

"Okay, Gastly, let's go!"

The ball burst open, and the ghost/poison type came and floated just above the ground, its poisonous gases doing nothing to disguise the almost manic grin on it's face. The drillbur reacted by flinching a little, but did not flee. I felt that if I captured it, it would be a very useful Pokemon to have.

"Gastly, use Hypnosis!" I shouted. My pokemon leapt forward on its swirling tendrils and attempted to clatter the drillbur violently across the head. However, the ground-type pokemon launched itself backwards, completely avoiding the attack that would've sent it to sleep. It gathered itself to counter.

Gastly floated, waiting. The drillbur let out a wild scream and hurtled forward. I recognised the move as Rapid Spin.

"Gastly, get out the way!" I yelled.

But it could do nothing, as the Rapid Spin smashed into it, and threw it backwards with excess force. I looked at him, but it just righted itself, looked ahead and continued smiling, it's vicious teeth bared in a display of his superiority.

"Now, Gastly! Lick it!"

Gastly laughed, flew across to the drillbur, and dragged its tongue across it, sending it flying backwards.

"Good, Gastly! Now finish it! Use Hypnosis!"

The drillbur had only just dragged itself back to its feet before my pokemon hurtled into it, sending it to sleep. Max clapped as I walked forward, praising Gastly, and caught the drillbur inside of another Poke ball.

"Nice one!" he exclaimed, as Max and I made my way back to the school grounds. "A drillbur! Pretty decent, and should be alright against whatever Ash has got."

I nodded. "I hope so! I'd better check on it later though, to make sure it's okay. It took that last hit pretty badly!"

Max nodded, his hair still stuck up erratically. I couldn't help but notice lots of girls watching him, as he strode forward, his dragon jacket billowing faintly behind him in the stiff breeze. "That Gastly sure can pack a punch..."

"Definitely, but I'm not gonna tell it to back down a bit. I need that power to beat the shit out of Ash with!"

Max laughed, patted me on the back, and went the other way – back towards our dormitories. I realised that I had a bit of time to kill, so went out to sit the courtyard, which was bathed in sunlight. There was a large clock tower to the right hand side, which chimed as it hit 11o'clock. I had a couple of hours left before my first lesson.

"Can I join you?" a small voice asked tenderly. I spun around, and saw Gaia looking at me, nervously wringing her hands together.

After a moment's hesitation, I nodded, and led her over to a wooden bench positioned in the far corner of the courtyard. We sat there in silence for a minute or two, before she turned to look at me.

"Look, Dan, you know I had no choice."

I nodded solemnly.

"I know. It just..." But I couldn't find the right words to complete my sentence.

"I just need to ask...why do you care if I'm with Ash?"

I took small, shallow breaths, fighting to keep the tears from out of my eyes. "I...I just..."

_Tell her...you won't get another chance! Tell her how you feel!_

"I don't want Ash to get too distracted from the fight today...it won't be the same if you're there doing-"

"Doing what?" she asked, hurt flaring up in her voice.

I could only shake my head; no words came to mind. With a small sob, Gaia got up and left, leaving me sat alone as the courtyard cleared out slowly.

Lessons were beginning, and despite the fact mine didn't start for a long time, I got up and decided to take a walk, encompassing the school grounds.

It failed to clear my head, and as I entered my very first lesson; attempting to bond with my Gastly and new Drillbur, haunting and alluring images of the love of my life kept floating through my head, distracting me from everything else.

_Why hadn't I told her how I felt?..._I asked myself, dragging my feet behind me as I left the lesson, and checked my watch.

I felt my heart rate dramatically increase. It felt like it was attempting to break free of my chest.

It was 3 o'clock. Time for my battle with Ash...

Taking a deep breath, shaking violently, I made my way to the Veranda.

_**Okay guys, I hope you're enjoying the story so far! I'm attempting more regular updates during my free periods at school, so expect more chapters very soon! Will Dan beat Ash? And finally tell Gaia, the love of his life, how he actually feels? Find out very soon! Until then... ADIOS!**_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The clock in the tower had literally just chimed three, when I entered the Veranda. My heart plummeted into my stomach. Surrounding the circular, paved area were three medium sized grandstands, packed to the rafters with students from the school.

Ash was stood in his trainer box, looking intently at me. On his trainer's bench, Gaia was sat huddled up; alone.

"I thought I'd spice up the proceedings a bit." He laughed. The crowd roared all around me, the frenzy beginning to build up. "Do you recognise this, Davis?"

He raised a slender arm. Something was clutched inside his hand. It looked very similar to an old games console I used to have, with a flip-up lid, an analog stick on the left side of a medium sized screen, and four directional keys on the other.

"It's a Pokedex…" I breathed, raising my voice to be heard above the ear-shattering noise.

The crowd had obviously taken notice of what Ash was holding, and started up a chant. It appeared some were rooting for me, the underdog, was the majority were supporting Ash; the future Pokemon champion.

"Correct. Whoever wins this fight, will get to keep the Pokedex."

He walked sideways, to allow a man to enter his trainer box. The man was dressed in a black and white striped shirt, and casual black trousers. I immediately recognised him as an official Pokemon League referee.

"Gentlemen, the rules are simple!" the ref announced. "You will each use only two Pokemon, switches can be made at any time, and the person who has the most remaining Pokemon at the end will be crowned winner. Are you ready to battle?"

Ash just sneered at me coldly. I nodded my head. The sun was beating down upon the battlefield.

"Okay then. May the best competitor win. Battle!"

Ash was the first to make a move. He threw down his first Poke ball into the arena.

"Let's go Fletchling!"

The fire/flying type Pokemon landed on the ground, staring straight ahead. The crowd waited with bated breath, as I made my first choice.

"Let's go Drillbur!"

My most recent catch entered the arena, and the crowd roared, unsure of who would have the advantage.

_Let's make sure it's me…_

"Okay, let's finish this now! Use Double Team!" Ash shouted.

"No, Drillbur! Hit it first, use Scratch; then look away!"

My pokemon drove forward, just as the Fletchling started to move sideways, and drove its shining claws across the body of the bird. Ash's pokemon was thrown backwards, but managed to right itself and continue the Double Team.

However, Drillbur was ready, and spun around to face me. Once the Double Team was over, Ash wasn't smiling. He knew that my pokemon hadn't been slightly confused, so the evasiveness gained could count for nothing if I used the right attack.

I had to take my chance. So I took a deep breath, and shouted.

"Drillbur, use Fury Swipes!"

My pokemon made a noise of recognition, pivoted forward of its stubby legs, and slashed the Fletching once, twice…five times! The bird pokemon spun round to face my rival, fell to its small boned knees and keeled over. The referee flew out of Ash's trainer box, knelt down by the pokemon and declared a win for me.

"Fletchling is unable to battle! Drillbur is the winner!"

I smiled, but didn't take too much notice. I knew I was 1-0 up, but it would count for nothing. I knew what the next Pokemon Ash would use was…

"That doesn't matter! Pikachu, end this for us!"

Ash threw the Poke ball forward, and the electric mouse pokemon flew out, a smile on its face. The sun shone brightly on its red-spotted cheeks. I had to plan my next move carefully.

Drillbur had comprehensively won the first round, but was panting, and looked very tired. I had no choice.

"Gengar, let's go!"

Time to test my new Pokemon…it had evolved sometime between when I had got it from the professor, and now. Somehow, I wasn't surprised – but I reminded myself to ask the professor about what had actually happened. I didn't want to reveal my faint shock to my opponent.

Just as I was about to give Gengar the first instruction, I heard a shout from behind me. I spun round, and saw Max clambering into my trainer box, before sitting down on my trainer bench.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed, looking suspicious.

I laughed, and turned back to the battle. Ash glared at me, before sending out his Pikachu.

"Pika!" it shouted, as it was released onto the ground.

My Gengar turned to face me, looking slightly surprised. I tried to will it on.

"You can do it!" I told it, giving it a wry smile.

It turned back around, waiting. I couldn't help but frown. The Pikachu has no particular effectiveness over it, so why was my Gengar worried?

"Let's kick this off!" Ash exclaimed. "Use Thunderbolt!"

"Shit!" I couldn't help but shout out. "Get out the way!"

"PIKAAAA!" The electric mouse fired a huge bolt of lightning out of its jagged tail, which then slammed into the ground. Luckily, my Gengar had managed to move out the way slightly, but it had still been caught by the current, and looked tired already.

Ash laughed, looking at me across the battleground.

"Giving up yet, Davis? You've got no chance of taking down my Pikachu!"

The taunt had no effect on me. I suddenly remembered something.

"Do you remember what happened on my first day?" I asked back. The crowd had turned deathly silent, watching on intently.

"What are you talking about?" Ash fired back, anger very obviously building up inside him.

Our pokemon watched on, waiting for their owners to make another move.

"The first day, I beat that Pikachu with a Pidgey…and it was easy!"

Ash seemed lost for words, and bowed his head. Just when I thought I had the upper hand, he slowly raised up to look at me. The sun cast a black shadow across his face, but I could still make out his narrowed eyes.

"Well…you surely didn't think I'd come to this fight without training him up a bit?"

I thought to myself. He had used the move Thunderbolt, which can only be used if the pokemon is level 29 or above.

_Shit…my Gengar's nowhere near that high!_

"So you see…" Ash drawled, throwing and catching another Poke ball in his right hand. "I think I have the advantage." He turned to grin at Gaia, but she was hunched over, looking at the ground.

"Let's do this!" I shouted. The crowd began to get louder and louder once again, beginning a frenzy of excitement. "Gengar, use Confuse Ray!"

My Gengar made its way forward, and fired off a beam that hit the Pikachu directly between the eyes. The yellow pokemon started to totter backwards, its small beady eyes looking very cross-eyed.

I allowed myself a wry smile. I had another trick up my sleeve.

"Quick, use curse!"

The Pikachu let out a small whimper, as it continued to move backwards. Ash looked on, letting no emotion cross his darkened face. My Gengar chased it down, and hit it hard on the side of its head. A small bolt appeared to pass through one side, and then out the other, before disappearing.

Ash snarled at me across the ground. The crowd had started to chant; realising the battle was just about to end. I was actually about to win…

"PIKACHU, USE THUNDERBOLT, GIVE IT EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!" he screamed, with heaven-splitting violence.

The mouse pokemon looked up, and appeared to have been shaken from its daze. My jaw dropped. It was _smiling_.

"PIKA…CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

The largest lightning bolt I had ever seen came cascading down through the clouds and hammered into the ground with a deafening crack. It smashed into my Gengar, and with a humungous bang, it was thrown backwards, all the way into my trainer's box.

I didn't have to look down. I knew the battle was lost. All I had left was my tired Drillbur. It wouldn't stand a chance against an experienced Pikachu. My heart sank.

Ash sensed I knew defeat was coming.

"Time for me to win…"

"No, it's not!" someone shouted from behind me.

Max entered the trainer's box, two Poke balls clutched in each of his hands.

The fight had just got interesting…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Max!" I exclaimed, just as surprised as the spectators, who were watching on silently as the new event unfolded. "What're you doing?"

"Saving your ass." He replied.

I frowned.

"But…you don't have any pokemon!"

He gave me a sly smile. "That's where you're wrong, dear friend. You didn't think I'd come here without actually catching something. Somehow I just knew you'd manage to cock it up; hence why I'm here a bit late."

He looked across at Ash. "Apologies."

Ash didn't smile, but looked instead furious. He turned to the referee.

"Is this allowed?" he asked, his jaw hanging down, blatantly shocked by Max's entrance to the battle.

"According the rules and regulations, it is. It just turns it into a double's match. To continue, you'll need another friend to battle with you."

Ash frowned, looking confused for a moment. Then he turned to his trainer bench. Gaia was sat on, still hunched over. He walked forward, put his hand on her shoulder and appeared to be whispering to her. I saw her pull away, looking mortified. My opponent just smiled, dragged her up violently by her arm and pushed her towards the front of his box.

"I've found someone." He snarled.

The referee nodded. "The new match-ups will be: trainer Ash vs trainer Dan, and trainer Max vs trainer Gaia. The double who defeats the other will win the round."

I turned to Max. However, he wasn't watching me. His eyes were set across the battleground at our rivals, and he was silently chewing the side of his cheek. He appeared deep in thought.

"Okay, let's kick this off. Gaia, go." Ash shouted, playing the crowd expertly. Even I had to admit that he had a way with people.

Gaia drew a deep breath and threw a poke ball onto the surface. "Go, Caterpie!"

The bug-type pokemon burst out of the capsule, wriggling forward slightly. Max let out a small laugh. It definitely wouldn't have the advantage when it came to speed.

My Gengar was still at my feet, now looking a bit healthier as it had rested for a while during Max's entrance. Somehow it was still surving. It was now time for my friend to choose his Pokemon.

"Let's go, Magby!"

The crowd let out a collective 'oooh', as the fire-type entered the arena. It was a slender figure, all red, with a yellow stomach, and crested head. It appeared to be very rare, as lots of people in the crowd were craning their necks in order to get a better look.

I shot a look at Max.

"I'll explain later." He said. "Now, Magby, use Ember on the Caterpie!"

I knew immediately Gaia's worm pokemon was done for. Fear built up in its eyes, as the Magby made its way forward, almost strolling, and spat fire onto the bug. With a small noise that sounded like a whimper, the Caterpie was defeated. Small tendrils of smoke floated off it, riding gently on the wind into the sky.

The referee stood forward. "Caterpie is defeated. Advantage to trainers Dan and Max."

Ash growled menacingly, as Gaia moved forward to release her second Pokemon.

"Let's go, Pidgey!"

Ash became even more incensed, shoving her out the way in order to command his own pokemon. He obviously hadn't forgotten our very first showdown with each other.

"Pikachu, use thunder wave, on that Magby!"

The electric mouse pokemon lashed out with its tail, firing a shimmering light towards the fire type. However, Max was on top of the situation.

"Magby, dodge it and then counter with smokescreen!"

The Magby rolled out of the way, and when it had clambered back to its feet, it fired off a large plume of smoke that hovered around our pokemon. I could no longer make out the figures of Ash and Gaia through the smoke.

"Good tactic!" I whispered to him. "Now, let's get Gengar on the case."

He nodded, pointing towards the smoke.

_Use the smoke…_

"Gengar! Use confuse ray! Through the smoke!"

My pokemon cackled, and fired off the ray. It passed through the smoke, and I could hear Ash curse aloud as it hit his Pikachu square in the face. We had confused his electric-type, but at the cost of the smoke veil as it silently drifted away.

The battlefield had cleared, and I assessed the situation quickly in my head. The Pikachu had been confused; giving it a lesser chance of attacking out pokemon, and the Pidgey would eventually be nothing to worry about. All in all, we had a good chance of winning. I still had my Drillbur, but Gengar was still going surprising strong out there.

I turned to my friend.

"Let's end this for good." He nodded back in exchange, gritting his teeth.

"Magby, hit that Pidgey with fire spin!"

The Magby spun around twice, and fired off a ring of fire that surrounded the small bird. Gaia just sighed, and sat back down heavily. She knew what was inevitably about to happen. The fire touched the Pidgey, setting it on fire. It tried to take off, to escape from the place, but it failed, and hit the floor with a hefty thump.

"Pidgey is unable to battle. Trainer Gaia is all out of Pokemon. Advantage once again to Trainers Dan and Max." The referee explained.

"Goddamn it!" Ash roared into the sky. The crowd let out a collective laugh; which did nothing but anger him even more. He pulled down his cap over his eyes even more.

"Gengar, hit it with Curse. Let's end this now!"

My pokemon flew forward, cackling still. It leaned out to hit the Pikachu, but Ash had other ideas, telling his pokemon to withdraw slightly and counter. It managed to evade the attack, and fired off a thunderbolt. It slammed into my Gengar, wiping it out of the arena.

This time there was no miraculous recovery. The referee stepped forward and announced that I was down to one pokemon. We still had the advantage though, and I was silently confident when I sent out Drillbur.

Max withdrew his Magby, and sent in his second Pokemon; which was also a new catch.

"Come on, Elekid!"

He unleashed the small yellow and black striped pokemon to the field. Two electric types on the ground, and it was obvious which one was more effective.

_What was Max doing?_

"It's all yours, buddy." My friend said, beckoning to my Drillbur.

"Drillbur, use Dig!"

Ash roared again, and pointed violently at my pokemon, which was beginning to scurry inside the ground; it's metallic claws shining brightly in the harsh sunlight.

"Pikachu, hit that bastard with all you've got! Use Thunder!"

The crowd fell silently, my heart seemed to stop for a moment. Even Max staggered backwards a bit. The referee stepped forward, holding one hand up.

"Trainer, that move will wipe out everything on the ground!"

Ash snarled at him. He was almost animalistic in his behaviour. "You think I care? Go, Pikachu!"

"PIKAAAAAAAA!" the mouse shouted.

My Drillbur had just come up from under the ground, directly in front of the electric type. Now was our chance. If I didn't hit it quick enough, Ash would wipe the floor with both our Pokemon in one horrific move. No wonder the referee had tried to intervene. It would probably damage the veranda big time…

"Hit it now, Drillbur! Metal Claw!"

My pokemon did exactly what it was told; the timing could not have been any better. It lashed out it's sharp claws, swiping the Pikachu that was building up its thunder attack.

Time seemed to pass by slowly. The Pikachu fired off the thunder in mid-air, just as it was tripped backwards by the metal claw attack from my Drillbur. The bolt flew up into the air. The referee ducked for cover. I sprinted forwards, collected Drillbur back in i's Poke ball. Max did the same. We jumped back into our trainer box, and ducked. The thunder hit the ground, directly where the Pikachu was lying prone.

The battle was over. The mouse pokemon had been annihilated by its own attack, once again. Ash screamed a volley of curses, shoved the Pokedex in the hand of the referee and disappeared from view.

The crowd let out a unified cheer. We had done it.

Max came over, gave me a fist bump, but I pulled him into a man-hug. We had beaten Ash again, in an insane doubles battle.

The referee made his way over, and handed me my new Pokedex. I beamed at my pokemon, who had burst out of their poke balls and were sat around my feet, smiling back at me. They didn't look at all bad, considering the damage they had been subjected to.

All in all; it was a good day. I looked up, Gaia was gone too, presumably dragged away by Ash in his rage.

Max had suddenly stopped, and was being beckoned over by someone. They were hiding behind a building, pressed away in the shadow cast by the overhanging roof. And they were dressed in the uniform grey and black of Team Plasma, the pokemon-stealing gang from Unova.

_What were they doing here?_

And more importantly…

_What did they want with Max?_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Max, giving me a look over his shoulder, disappeared into the shadows, leaving me to wander back into school on my own. The corridors were quiet, as most of the students were all out on the veranda still, packed into the grandstands. I wondered where Ash was.

Now I had time to think, I realised just how tired I was. That battle had drained me completely, and my brain felt extremely sluggish. However, there was still something that could shake me out of my stupor. I reached into my pocket, and pulled out my new Pokedex.

Wondering how it actually worked, I decided I needed to test it out. I headed up to my dormitory, swung the door open and called out, seeing if anyone was at home. There was no reply, so I made my way into the lounge, sat down, and placed my poke balls down.

I released my Drillbur and Gengar onto the table, where they sat, watching me.

"Okay guys, take a look at this." I told them, placing the Pokedex on the table. "You know what this is?"

"Gar! Gar!" My Gengar announced, jumping up and down and waving its small arms.

I smiled at it.

"I'll take that as a yes. Thanks to you guys, we've won a Pokedex. It lets me see your potential moves, and characteristics. Let's try it out."

I held up the small camera over my Drillbur, and immediately the screen filled up with statistics and numbers. For instance, it showed me that my Drillbur was a male, was level 20, and could learn the move Earthquake at level 33. I did the same to my Gengar, looking at its potential moves and things very similar.

After a while, I felt clued up enough about my two pokemon, so I put them back into their balls, and left the room to find Max. I didn't have to look hard, as I crossed paths with him going down the stairs.

"Alright mate?" he asked, pulling his dragon jacket closer around his shoulders.

"You…you…" I could only stammer in reply.

He held up a hand, and smiled.

"It's really not what it seems like. He was just telling me some stuff."

"About what?" I asked frowning.

"Well, he's an informant in Team Plasma, so anything I want to know really."

I had just become even more confused than it was possible to be within a single second.

"What…what did he tell you?"

"Well…" he began, blatantly enjoying the attention I was giving him. "I suppose you've heard about the supposed 'Sacred Land'?"

I shook my head. I was wrong about being completely confused; I was now even more so.

"Basically, there is a Pokemon lore that somewhere within Kanto, there is a place where wild Pokemon live, but it is extremely unusual."

"How so?"

"Well, from what I was just told, any pokemon that has been exposed to that area can perform unusual moves. Not like teaching it things with a HM or a TM; they physically learn it by themselves. It also allows them evolve even when not levelled up enough. To put it short, it's so unpredictable."

When he had finished, I couldn't help but scoff loudly. It just sounded too silly to be true.

"It all sounds like a load of rubbish to me, mate." I told him.

He just looked back at me. It turns out he had a trump card hidden within his sleeve.

"Team Plasma has found it."

"They've what!?" I was so shocked. "Imagine what they could do with Pokemon so powerful that they can do any move, and evolve whenever they freaking feel like it!"

Max nodded in understanding.

"Exactly. They have to be stopped." I told him. I wasn't feeling brave at all, but I definitely wasn't stupid. I know something had to be done.

"Definitely. We're nowhere near strong enough though…there's no way we'd be able to take on the whole of Team Plasma and a load of really overpowered Pokemon. We'd get trashed." He said.

"Especially with only two Pokemon each."

He nodded, thinking about something. I asked him what it was.

"We need to see the Pokemon professor, and soon. And we definitely need more pokemon."

"Plus a quick way to get all out pokemon some experience." I added, also deep in thought.

He agreed with me, and suggested we went to see the professor right now. I nodded, and we made our way to his office. I knocked gently on the door.

"Come in." a voice said from inside.

I pushed open the door, Max following close behind me. The professor wasn't sat down in his chair by the fire this time, but was stood up by his pokemon machine, with a small green grass-type at his feet.

It turned around to face us. "Tree-cko!" it exclaimed.

The professor gave a hearty laugh, and smiled warmly. "It's okay Treeko, these people are students."

The pokemon seemed to understand, and visibly relaxed.

"So then boys, what can I do for you today?"

I looked at Max, and he told the professor all he had heard from his Team Plasma contact. After he had finished, the professor took a seat heavily, looking surprised, and very flustered.

"And you can back this up, Mr Davis?" he asked, looking at me.

I nodded. "It seems possible, professor. Whether or not this place actually exists, we have to do something."

The old man inclined his head in agreement. He appeared to have an idea already in his head. His eyes twinkled, almost as if he was a young man again.

"What should we do, professor?" Max asked desperately, removing his dragon jacket. He definitely meant business now.

The professor looked up, his face etched in a cross between boyish humour and a grave sadness.

"It seems you are the only trainers good enough here to have a chance. The gym leaders of Kanto are sure to help, but you must see them first and get their agreement."

I stomached the information, and turned to my friend. "It seems fine, we can do that."

Max agreed. The professor cleared his throat. He wasn't finished yet.

"And boys. Your pokemon need experience, and vast amounts. It is clear to me that both of you must take the pokemon gym challenge…"

I gulped loudly. My heart plunged into the icy depths of my stomach.

_Shit…_

"But when could we do that?" Max asked. "We're in school!"

The twinkle in the professor's eye shone through brightly. It was clear he already knew what to do.

"There are certain…rules…that can be bent. I am sure the headmaster will understand, especially when it comes to something as serious as this. Team Plasma _must_ be stopped."

His eyes glazed as he looked into the distance.

"For too long they have ruined our land, and the special relationship shared between human pokemon. It is all for greed, they believe they are the only ones who should own pokemon, and so they do everything with a ruthlessness that can never be justified. Boys…" he said heavily, looking down at us. "The time has come for you to do something special. You must save this land, and all the pokemon within it."

"But why us?" I asked. I knew deep in heart that we were just normal students. Nothing differentiated us from every other student at the school. Apart from one thing…

"The skills displayed in the battle you just had are some that I haven't seen at this school for many years, not since when the last Pokemon champion attended here. It is a very rare occasion when a pokemon trainer comes through this area, and appears straight away destined for great things. This year, there are two of you! That fact can't just be ignored."

"I suppose so. But, I definitely don't feel special." Max said. I was surprised, he didn't seem like the sort of person who let thing get to him. But I'd let him off, this was a very different sort of occasion. "To be honest, Ash is a much better trainer than both us put together. If anyone's gonna beat Team Plasma, it's him."

The professor smiled in return. He didn't seem fazed by anything that had just happened within the last five minutes. It almost seemed like he was enjoying himself.

"Very true, Mr Harris. However, Ash needs to be refined as a trainer, he takes far too many risks, and despite the relationship shared with his Pikachu, he seems to have no time for any other pokemon. Until he is ready, the school shall keep him here. Now…"

It was clear the professor was coming to the end of this explanation.

"I have such strong faith in you, boys. The instant you stepped into this office, Mr Davis, I could tell you would grow to be a powerful pokemon trainer. Mr Harris, the skill displayed out on the veranda just then also informs me of the same thing. I know you can do it."

The kind words lifted my heart, and I felt encouragement flow thickly through my veins. _I am ready!_

"Thanks, Professor." Max smiled, seemingly as prepared as I now felt.

"I mean everything I have just said. Now! If you are to challenge the Pokemon gyms around Kanto, you will need some more pokemon! Two for both of you will not suffice. Where did you find your Magby, and Elekid, Mr Harris?"

Max looked slightly sheepish. He knew he had gone out of the school boundaries. "Well…behind the trainer pitches, there's a thick wood. A lot of rare pokemon hang around there. They seem to watch what happens in the school grounds."

"Ah, excellent. A curious pokemon is better than a docile one, as every good trainer should know. Do you have any other lessons today?"

We both shook our heads. We were only in our first year, so lessons tended to be very sparse, and basic. I didn't mind, the bond I had formed with my pokemon during the lesson, and the battle with Ash, definitely had improved. I felt a lot closer to them than I had done beforehand.

"Then I would advise you to head down to that spot now, and get catching. Time is running short, and I will send you on your journey at dawn tomorrow, before the rest of the school rises. It is imperative that no one sees you leave, not even the headmaster."

We both thanked him, and shook his hand graciously. Giving us a warming smile, he closed the door behind us. Max turned to me.

"Right, let's go get catching!"

We headed to the secluded spot. It was a small clearing in the huge forest, dotted with small lakes, and rocky areas. Using all our remaining poke balls, we got busy. Max managed to catch a Shellder, in a small icy patch of water by one of the lakes. Feeling slightly jealous, I watched on as he then captured a Seedot, to round off his four-pokemon team.

It was then my turn. And I got lucky. Big time.

Huddled in a small alcove, where a rocky incline met the mouth of a small patch of water was a Kabuto, looking up at me with two large white eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, I battled it with my Drillbur until it tired, and then I sucked it into a poke ball.

I needed one more. And luck struck again, as I stumbled across a Natu perched high up in a tree. I shook it down with my Gengar, and captured it successfully.

With our teams finalised, we trudged back to school under the night sky and fell straight asleep when he reached our dorm.

Tomorrow was the biggest day of my life.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

I was woken up the next morning by Max, who shook me roughly until I came to my senses. Hurriedly, we made sure we had packed up everything we needed, left a note for Gaia, and left the dorm.

The corridors were eerily quiet, and our footsteps rattled around as we made our way through the school, and out of the large doors. Once we were outside, we were greeted quietly by the professor.

"Nice to see you made it boys. Do you have everything you need?" he asked, the cold morning wind whipping his hair into a frenzy.

We both nodded, certain that we had packed all the essentials. I had even double-checked my own bag about five times, just to be doubly certain.

"Good. Now, you must leave as soon as possible, the teacher's will start to wake up in a minute." He gave us a look, which seemed almost sad. "Do either of you have any questions?"

I shook my head, playing with my poke ball absent-mindedly in one hand. And that's when it struck me. "Professor?"

He raised his eyebrow, encouraging me to continue.

"During my battle with Ash, I was using my Gengar. It has obviously gone from being a Gastly all the way to its final evolution. That just isn't possible is it?"

To my surprise, the old man gave me a wry smile. "Actually, Mr Davis, it very much is. It sounds to me like the Gastly I gave to you from my machine is actually a descendant of one that has lived in the Sacred Land. You remember what we said about the mystical powers the place has? Well, pokemon are inclined to skip evolutions if they feel the need."

My mouth fell open. My brain whirred away as I struggled to understand what the professor had just explained to me. "So, if a pokemon who has relations to one that lived in that place wants to, it can just...skip to a more advanced evolution?"

He nodded at me, clearly happy at my understanding. "That is correct. And it is also very intriguing. If it is not a pain, I would like you to keep in contact with me about your pokemon as much as possible. Things like evolutions, or new moves, that will be very helpful to my personal research."

He handed us both a small slip of paper.

I looked down at it. Scrawled across it were eleven digits – a phone number.

"Should you choose to contact me on your travels, just call that number. It's my own cell phone, so any information you pass on to me won't fall into the...wrong...hands." He turned to face the winding hills and mountains ahead. The bright orange orb that was the sun was just beginning to kiss the bottom of the horizon, rising up slowly. "Now, you must leave. Be sure to do the best you can! Goodbye!"

With some hurried handshakes, Max and I left down the road, towards the entrance gates of the school. Sparing a glance over my shoulder, I saw the thin figure of the professor hurry away.

And a shadow in a top window, blatantly looking down on us. We were being watched.

Nudging Max, we sped up, and left the school grounds as quick as we could. As I checked my watch, I saw that the time was 7 o'clock, so students would start to rise up for the new day. I wondered if anyone would realise we had left. What would Gaia think? But I was also concerned about the mystery person watching us as we left the school. They didn't exactly do a good job or hiding their presence, so maybe they wanted us to notice them. It was all very suspicious, and very confusing.

We continued our journey in silence, until it reached ten, and we both realised we were hungry. Noticing a park bench, we took a seat, and Max pulled out the Kanto region map we would need to find our way round. People walked past, but seemed to take no notice of us.

"Okay, so we're on route 26." he said, pointing with his finger at our location. "This is also Victory Road, so expect lots of trainers on their way to battle the Elite Four."

I looked up at him, feeling suddenly nervous. "That means their pokemon will be more advanced than ours! We'll get trashed."

"That's true. But it's still experience, and do you see another way to get to Viridian City?"

No matter how hard I checked the map, I knew the honest answer.

"Besides, it won't just be experienced trainers. You'll have sightseers and tourists coming by this way, and they'll be easy targets if we challenge them to a battle. It'll help in the long run."

I nodded, knowing I couldn't disagree with his logic. It just seemed so...backwards. Normally, trainers got their first pokemon and worked their way up through the gyms, normally starting at Pallet Town, where I was from, and going their own way after that. We were going head on towards some of the best trainers, and then to Viridian City. There also seemed to be no Pokemon centres for a long way, apart from one where routes 26, and 22 met. It was going to be a gruelling journey.

Max prodded me, bringing me back round to the present.

"Looks like our first victims have arrived." he whispered, beckoning towards two people coming at us from around the bend. They were a man and woman, looking no older than us, but were panting and wheezing heavily.

Immediately, I spun round to Max. "We can't battle them! They look so tired!"

But he could only smile in return. He put on a fake posh voice, and feigned putting on a small pair of glasses. "Well, old chap, Pokemon League rules state that you cannot turn down a battle from another trainer, even if the question isn't asked. And as we're taking the gym challenge, we must abide by the League rules or face expulsion."

"But no-one will know!" I retorted, aghast at the thought. I knew I would rather help them; give them supplies, than battle them and annihilate whatever pokemon they might have.

"They will."

The two people had now got closer, so I could finally get a proper look at them. The man looked my age, but had stubble across his face, and was sweating profusely from his forehead.

The woman on the other hand was, and there's no other way to put this, stunningly beautiful. She was wearing a hat I had seen in Western films many times, and thick blonde hair cascaded down from it, stopping just above her chest. She had a small nose, freckles, but the perfect smile, which she flashed at me as they both came over to us.

Max and I shook hands with the man, and awkwardly greeted the woman.

"Alright, guys?" the man said, wiping his forehead. "I'm James. You are?"

We both introduced ourselves, and turned towards the woman. She smiled again, making heart jump a bit. But I was brought down to earth with a resounding bang, when memories of Gaia seared through my mind, both haunting and alluring at the same time.

"And I'm Emily." she said. Max nodded respectfully, but I kept my eyes firmly to the floor, feeling incredibly ashamed of myself.

Silence lingered in the air, but I knew what was coming. Max stood up.

"Want a battle?" he asked.

James grinned. "I thought you'd never ask!"

Max set about carving a rough battle field onto the ground with a large stick. James flopped down on the bench next to me, still breathing heavily. I raised my head slightly, aware that Emily was now helping Max.

"So, where d'you guys come from?" he asked.

"I'm from Pallet Town, but I'm not too sure where Max lives."

"What gives?" James pressed.

"Well, we both go to the same school, at Indigo Plateau, and we met there not too long ago."

"I see!" he replied, but then frowned. "So why aren't you in school still?"

I flashed him a knowing look, suddenly wishing to get the battles over and done with so I could leave as soon as possible. "It's a long story."

I got up, and helped Max finish off the ground. I went into one trainer box, pulling a coin out of my pocket.

"Whoever guesses correctly when I flip the coin will challenge me first. Call it in the air." I said to the group.

"Heads!"

"Tails!"

The coin landed on my hand, and I turned it round to show to the others. Emily had guessed correctly, so she stepped forward into the other box. The others went and sat down on the bench, watching out for any other trainers who happened to pass by.

"Okay..."I breathed, mostly to myself. "Let's do this!"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Max acted as the referee, and said that we would both deploy our pokemon at the same time. Emily threw her pokemon, just as my Natu entered the arena. She had released a Butterfree.

"Both trainers will use one pokemon only, so they will be no switching at any time. The trainer who has their pokemon standing at the end will be announced the winner. Trainer Emily, kick things off."

Emily gave me a little smile, and pointed upwards to the sky dramatically. "Butterfree, get into the air, and then use Poison Powder!"

My heart dropped. The little Natu would stand no chance. I had to do something.

"Dodge it, then use Night Shade." I shouted, determined to win this match.

"Na-tu!" it announced shrilly, leaping up into the air using its little wings that were threaded with colourful shades of yellow, black and crimson. The poison powder attack flew forward, a purple deadly shroud, but my Natu flew nimbly out of the way, and flew forward, unleashing its counter.

The night shade hit the Butterfree, which flew backwards, and dipped low until it touched down onto the ground. I glanced sideways, and saw Max give me a sly thumbs-up – he knew just how effective that move would be in this match.

Emily didn't look particularly happy. "Get back up, hit that thing with Psybeam!"

The attack was unleashed, sending the Butterfree back slightly. My Natu had no chance of dodging it this time. The beam hit it full on in its midriff and sent it hurtling backwards. Its little wings beat frantically, only just keeping it hovering off of the ground.

The battle was just beginning to get interesting. My Natu had just been hit hard, and looked to be struggling. However, if Natu could just stay conscious for a bit longer, then Night Shade was sure to finish the Butterfree off.

"Natu, Night Shade again!" I shouted.

The attack slammed into the Butterfree, which finally dropped low and hit the floor. Emily could tell her pokemon was visibly struggling, and she looked slightly sorry for it.

It was time for me to finish the battle off.

"Natu, hit it again!"

My small pokemon unleashed the same attack again, but Emily was ready. She leaped forward, pointing viciously at my Natu.

"Don't you dare go down now! Counter with Confusion!"

Just as my pokemon hit the Butterfree, the bug/flying pokemon had countered with the attack. Butterfree fell to the ground, swaying slightly, but still hadn't fainted. My Natu had taken the blow of the attack before I could say anything, and it too fell to the ground.

Both pokemon refused to collapse first. Emily and I flew out of our trainer boxes, loudly encouraging our pokemon to stay awake. Max got back off the bench, and strode over, blatantly enjoying the situation.

"We go to the showdown. Whichever pokemon falls first will lose the match, and the other trainer will be the winner."

Natu's eyes were cross-eyed, and it was making strange little noises as it fell one way, then righted itself dreamily. The Butterfree was doing the same sort of movements, but I was always confident the Night Shade had taken its toll eventually.

Emily's bug type toppled backwards, and hit the ground, sending up a thin veil of dust and grit. Natu gave a small victory noise, and collapsed into my arms as I scooped it up and gave it a little hug. It had done its job amazingly, especially because it was the first time I had used it in battle.

"Victory to trainer Dan!" Max announced, clapping me on the back.

Emily came across the field to me, and gave me a little kiss on the cheek. Despite what had just happened, she still looked pleased.

"Well done!" she exclaimed, returning her Butterfree to its poke ball.

"I'm surprised you're so happy! That was some ending!" I replied, failing to mask a huge grin.

She nodded. "Yeah, but my Butterfree did so well, and it's all experience in the end."

I couldn't fault her logic. "I suppose so."

"That Night Shade worked well, I assume your Natu was quite high level. At least level 25?" After I nodded in confirmation, she said: "Well, Butterfree's aren't exactly known for their large amounts of HP, are they?"

We all had a good laugh, before she handed me my winning money. I counted it up when I was away from the group, and couldn't help but feel uplifted when I realised I had earned just over $200 just from that match.

_Maybe this pokemon thing is better than I thought…_

I returned to the group, just in time to see Max face off against James. I became the referee, and watched on excitedly as Max released his Magby, and James sent out his Sandshrew. It promised to be a good match up.

James kicked things off.

"Okay, Sandshrew, let's do this!" he exclaimed. "Use Sand Tomb!"

This confused me – he obviously hadn't evolved his pokemon into a Sandslash just yet. I wondered why.

The barrage of sand flew forward, shaped like a tornado, and consumed the Magby. It was briefly out of view, before it reappeared, looking supremely pissed off.

"No more of that!" Max roared. "Use confuse ray, then flame burst!"

The fire type reacted quickly, sprinting towards the ground type after it had fired off the confuse ray. Sandshrew became cross-eyed, and staggered around aimlessly, just before the Magby seemed to erupt into flames, and attack its opponent very hard.

The attack was very powerful, and the ground-type hit the ground. However, the fall seemed to make it come out of its stupor. The confusion attack wore off, and the pokemon became ready for orders once again.

"Sandshrew, use Dig! Get under the surface!"

"Shrew!" it shouted, using its slender claws to dig a large hole, before scurrying through it. Magby looked at Max, unsure of what to do next.

"Magby, burn that thing out! Use Fire Punch!"

The fire-type made its way forward, and threw a violent punch onto the ground just in front of it. Its fists blazed with flames, and the ground set alight. The fire burnt a large hole in the ground, revealing the Sandshrew lurking beneath the ground.

Max leered at it. James raised his eyebrows, blatantly surprised. He opened his mouth to give orders, but Max was just too fast.

"Hit it again, fire punch!" my friend shouted, sensing victory.

The Magby leaned forward, made a triumphant noise, and smashed the Sandshrew even further into the ground with a combination of flaming fists. Once it had moved backwards, I saw the Sandshrew wasn't moving.

"Sandshrew is unable to battle! Victory to trainer Max!" I announced, giving my mate a high-five, and a respectful handshake to James, who looked slightly confused.

"What's up?" Max asked him, giving him a handshake too.

James looked up, his brow furrowed slightly.

"I had no idea a Magby was capable of that! Using the environment to your advantage; that was very clever. You're clearly a very…unorthodox…trainer, Max!" he said.

I laughed, but couldn't help but agree with him. Most trainers in that situation would've waited for the Sandshrew to make its move, and then counter quickly, but Max had gone charging in, literally tearing the ground apart to get to his opponent. It could've gone very badly, but resulted in his victory instead. I couldn't help but respect him for that.

Once we had scuffed the ground back to how it was before – although there wasn't anything we could do about the hole – and Max had been given his winnings, we sat down on the bench.

I took a deep swig of water, while Max pulled out his map. James leaned towards us.

"So where are you guys headed to now?" he asked.

Max pointed to Viridian City. "We're gonna head there first, then get transport to Pallet Town, so we can do the gyms all in order."

"Ah, I see. There should be a train that goes from there straight to where you want to go, but if not, I'm sure there'll be another way."

"We're kinda banking on the train, but ah well. Where are you going?"

Emily replied this time. "We're off to take on the Elite Four."

Max raised his eyebrows. "You think you're prepared enough?"

James smiled. "Apart from the match here, we haven't lost a single trainer battle. Besides, all of my more experienced pokemon are right here." He patted all of the poke balls on his trainer belt.

"What sort of pokemon have you got?" I asked intrigued.

"I've got a Charmander, Heracross, and a Gyarados. I'm feeling pretty confident." James said.

"Same really, except I've got an Alakazam, and Tyrantrum to throw into the mix." Emily continued.

They seemed pretty prepared. After swapping phone numbers, and wishing them well, Max and I set off around the bend. The entirety of the route lay out ahead of us, beaming in the afternoon sun.

"We should try to get to the junction by night, then we'll be able to get the train tomorrow." Max said. I agreed, so we headed off down the road.

Our progress was halted many times by other trainers, who kept stopping us and asking for battles. Following Pokemon League rules, we accepted each time. I breezed through most of my battles, only losing my Drillbur to the hands of a high-level Blaziken.

As soon as the sun dropped below the tips of the towering trees, we began to run into less and less trainers, so we kept up a steady pace until we reached the junction, that led off to Viridian City and a very large mountain. We pitched our tent up in a large clearing in a forest, and hit the sack.

I had only just begun my adventure, but had experienced the toils on my first day already. I knew for sure that it was a long road ahead, but that it had to be done to save the region, and the world of Pokemon as we knew it.

A lot was riding on my shoulders.

I was just beginning to feel myself sink into the blissful depths of sleep, when a rustling woke me up. It was Max, leaning over me.

"Someone's been following us this whole time!" he spat out.

My heart froze, and dropped into my stomach.

_Who could it be?_


	11. Author's Note

Author's Note:

Hey guys, danthered19 here!

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who had favourite my story, and reviewed it.

Shadowdk432 – it's a pleasure to have you as a character in my story, and thanks for the reviews. You'll see what happens to the character as the story progresses!

Osidien – I can't tell you what a privilege it is to entertain people, and knowing that you're following my story makes me want to write more and more each time. This story wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you guys encouraging me to get busy and produce new chapters.

I will try to produce at least two chapters a week, but I am working on it during free periods at school, so don't be surprised if I upload more.

If anyone would like an OC in this story, then let me know.

Once again, thanks to all reviewers and followers, and brace yourself.

This story is nowhere near over just yet.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I gave Max a meaningful look, but he could only shrug his shoulders in reply. Steeling myself, I rose up, left the warm confines of the tent, and took a look outside. The sun had just begun to rise, and the very tops of the hills and trees were kissed with a piercing shade of yellow. The large rays that stretched luxuriously into our clearing created thick shadows that permeated the air.

But I could still see no people.

I returned to the tent, and saw Max packing his bag.

"I couldn't see anyone." I told him.

He looked up, still putting his poke balls into his pockets. "I know, I saw them on a bridge just in the distance, but once they'd noticed I'd seen them, they did a runner."

"Did you see who it was?"

"Of course I didn't, dumbass! How could I have seen all the way over there?"

"Was it a boy, or a girl?"

Max frowned, deep in thought. "I think…it was a boy. But a tall one."

"Right."

My friend brightened up, as he did up the straps on his rucksack. "Anyway, that reminds me. We can't keep storing out poke balls in our pockets. Once we get into the city, we're gonna go to the megastore and get ourselves one of those utility belts; the ones you can put your poke balls in."

I nodded my agreement, noticing the weight in my pockets not for the first time. Hurriedly, I packed up my stuff, and then we took apart the tent, stored it inside its own separate bag, and left for the city.

After what seemed like a long walk, we finally entered Viridian City. I checked my watch, and was pleasantly surprised to see that we had actually been walking for only an hour. It had only just reached 9 in the morning, so the city's shops were beginning to open.

Leading into the city was a large, open paved road, which led into a large square. There must have been thousands of people milling around on the road, as they all headed into the square.

"Guess that's where we should go." Max remarked, so we headed off in the same direction as the crowd.

All around us we could hear the cries of different pokemon trainers, as they attempted to sell memorabilia, in order to raise money. It was well known across Kanto that accommodation for a visiting trainer was very expensive.

The smells of hot coffee and pastries wafted alluringly around our nostrils, and after realising we hadn't eaten yet, we headed into a nearby coffee shop. Entering it, we noticed that it was as busy as it was outside, and there were lots of waiters bustling around, attempting to collect everyone's orders.

I pointed out a free table, so my friend and I sat down heavily, and placed out bags on the floor. One waitress ambled over, with red hair and an uninterested expression on her face.

"What can I get you?"

"I'll have a double hot chocolate and three pastries please." I told her.

Max ordered as well, and we walked away.

"So," I began. "What do we do now?"

"Well, I saw the train times as we came into the city, and it looks like the earliest train is delayed until 3 today."

"Why?" I asked, confused. Normally the train to Pallet Town ran every hour.

"Sounds like there's a pokemon tournament somewhere in the city."

Wanting to know more information, I asked the waitress when she arrived back to give us our orders.

"The tournament?" she asked. "Well, it's all been set up by the new pokemon gym leader; he wants to see how everyone performs before he starts taking challenges at the gym."

"You mean Geovanni's left?" I asked.

She gave me a small smile. "Being the leader of Team Rocket does have its cons as well. The Pokemon League removed him, and replaced him with Gareth. He's very young, but his dad used to be part of the Elite Four, so they think he'll be ready."

"So where's the tournament?" Max asked, swallowing his pastry, and then taking a deep gulp of his coffee.

"I believe it's in the courtyard outside of his gym. The winner gets a large cash prize, and the chance to be the first to challenge Gareth."

Max and I's eyes lit up. The chance to be the first person to defeat the city's new gym leader was one we couldn't turn down. After thanking the waitress, and giving her a good tip, we entered into a discussion.

"Sounds like we'll be staying here tonight then. We'll get the train to Pallet Town tomorrow." I said.

"Is that a good idea?" Max asked. "You know how expensive it is to rent a room for one night here. And we'd be doing the Gym challenge all the wrong way round."

I laughed. "We'll use the money we get from winning the tournament and beating Gareth to get the room for tonight, and then we'll head to Pallet Town and do the gym there tomorrow. It doesn't say anywhere in the League rules about the order you should do your badges in. I reckon it's the trainer's discretion."

After a moment's consideration, Max finally agreed reluctantly. Finishing off our breakfast, we headed out into the large road again. Sure enough, plastered to most of the street signs were large posters, adorned in colourful letters that informed trainers about the tournament. We can't have seen them on the outskirts of town.

I stopped a kind old man to ask him for directions to the courtyard, and he pointed up a winding alley. We thanked him, and followed the path he had told us to take.

However, once we had walked quite far up it, I got the horrible feeling that something could be wrong.

There was no trace of anyone else around us, and definitely no large battles going on. So where had the man sent us?

"Finally realised, 'av ya?" a voice snarled from behind us.

We spun round, to see two black-clad men approaching us from one side. They were both holding weapons in their hands, clearly loaded guns. I couldn't see them, but I could hear the rustle as two other people closed in from behind us.

We were trapped inside of the alley.

"It's hard being in this place, without any protection or money." The lead man drawled, pointing his gun at me. "We all assume that you have some, judging by your smarmy attitude, and snobbish air."

"Give us everything you have. NOW!" one of the other men shouted, clicking his weapon menacingly.

Max dropped his bag on the floor slowly. One of his poke balls fell out. The lead man reached down to pick up the bag when suddenly:

"ROARRRRRRRR!"

The poke ball had smacked onto the floor, and sprang open. Looming menacingly over the man who was clutching the bag, was a shining red, and very angry, Gyarados.

The men turned and ran for it, leaving the alley. Max, realising they had taken his bag, started to chase after them; his Gyarados following closely at his heels. I tried to keep up, and saw them enter the large square. Trainers were throwing themselves out of the way as Max tackled the man who had taken his bag, and they both landed in a fountain with a large splash.

The Gyarados leapt in after them, now not looking as awkward as it was back in water. It fired up a surf attack.

"No! No!" the man panted, soaked as he tried to sit up. The large pokemon traced his movements with narrowed eyes. "I'll give it back."

"Good." Max took a step forward, and retrieved his bag.

The man looked up, obviously scared of the Gyarados.

"I'm sorry…" he continued.

"I'll take your guns." Max said. The lead man handed over his weapon, after flipping it onto safety. "Now get out of here, I reckon someone would've already called the police."

The man nodded, seeming to want to say something. But he shook his head violently, clambered out of the fountain and sprinted away. I walked over, as Max patted his pokemon on its crested head.

"What. The. Fuck." I said, motioning towards the pokemon.

"I caught it while you were asleep, back in the tent. I couldn't relax, so I crept out, and found this thing, having a rest in some shadows by a river we passed."

"But…but…it's red!" I exclaimed. A red Gyarados was a very rare one indeed, and it was virtually impossible to find one – let alone catch it.

"It is. I dunno. It's my luck I suppose."

"So what're you going to do with it now?" I asked. It seemed improbable that Max would make it part of this team, it would just wipe out most trainer's pokemon, and would probably allow him to walk through the Pokemon League challenge.

I was right. "I can't use it, it'll be ridiculously overpowered. So I'll make a few phone calls, and see what I can do."

He left for a few minutes, so I was left on my own to try and convince people that I was alright. Eventually, the police arrived, so I pointed them in the direction of where the thief had run.

Max then came back.

"I've found somewhere to send this big guy." He said, patting the huge red creature. "I rang up the pokemon professor from school, and he said I could transfer him across the system, so it can wander around in the lakes just behind the school grounds."

"Good idea."

"He also asked how we were getting on, so I told him what we've been up to."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing, really. He just thanked me, and hung up. Bit rude really."

I laughed. "He's probably just excited that we're doing something, that's all."

Max nodded. "That's probably true; he is a bit…different."

After putting Gyarados back inside its poke ball, we headed off to the nearby pokemon centre. There, the kind nurse showed us how to use the transfer machine. Max sent his new pokemon to the school, and we headed off to the tournament, after being given _proper_ directions this time around.

We reached there at about 1 o'clock, and it appeared that the stewards were accepting any last entries. We joined the line, and eventually were in front of an old man, who was wearing red overalls.

"Welcome, gentlemen! You wish to enter the tournament?"

We both nodded in confirmation.

"Excellent. You have to register three pokemon only, and will be allocated against an opponent. The winner of each round will go on to face another trainer, until eventually we have two finalists. The winner will go on to be the first to challenge the gym leader. Any questions?"

"Nope."

He handed us both a form, which required us to write down our contact details, and any pokemon we were going to use. After we were done, we were directed to a large wooden board, where the match-ups were being made.

Having a quick look, I noticed that I was up against a guy called Ryan, and Max would be battling against Tim. Just as we were discussing the pokemon we would be using in our first round, a man approached us.

He had a slender figure, and a pleasant-looking face, that was jaded by some rough stubble. He couldn't be any older than 20.

"Ah, young trainers!" he said. "It's good to see some of my competition. I'm Gareth."

We shook his hand, before he wished us well and walked off, to greet some other trainers who were milling around.

My first match would begin at half 1, so we left the area, and sat down on a picnic bench. After a small conversation that was filled with lots of hesitation and nervous stutters the time had come.

"Please can trainers Dan Davis, and Ryan Benson make their way to field one. Your match is about to begin." A voice announced over the speakers.

Max stood up, shook my hand; and I walked off towards my first competitive pokemon battle, feeling a strong wave of dread rise up through me.


End file.
